After emotionally destroying us for 18 episodes, it’s about time the cast got a taste of their own medicine. As part of the network’s upfront presentation on Monday, NBC gathered some of the show’s biggest fans to share their own stories about family, parenting, adoption and grief.

What they didn’t know was that stars like Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Sterling K. Brown and Chrissy Metz were listening off-screen. As fans recounted heartwarming (and heartbreaking) stories about how the show hit home for them, the actors quietly broke down in tears.

The feels kept on coming when the stars surprised the fans, leading to meetings so emotional, series creator Dan Fogelman must have crafted them himself.